In China, following serious flooding, several cities are now under threat from large islands of trash blocking water flows, potentially causing more flooding. In the city of Baishan, a 160,000 square feet trash island has parked under a bridge. If this floating monument of weirdness isn’t cleared soon, the bridge might collapse, according to the Straits Times.

The Guardian has a picture and a fuller story on the threat at the Three Gorges dam. One can only hope that Chinese authorities have the boldness to rewrite the crisis plan for things-to-do-when-a-flood-comes to include some more garbage workers upstream. Then again, as per usual, the amount of trash to begin with is the problem.

Like this:

Uh oh, looks like trash ain’t worth what it used to be. The Timesreports today that recycled materials like plastic and cardboard, once sold as scap for a profit, are piling up because no one wants to buy junk anymore. It’s a development that sadly takes a big bite out of a cost/benefits argument for public recycling programs. Cities don’t seem to be cutting back on collection just yet, but the figures are dramatic.

On the West Coast, for example, mixed paper is selling for $20 to $25 a ton, down from $105 in October, according to Official Board Markets, a newsletter that tracks paper prices. And recyclers say tin is worth about $5 a ton, down from $327 earlier this year. There is greater domestic demand for glass, so its price has not fallen as much.

Apparently China used to buy a lot of our junk but stopped doing so when the economy turned. Perhaps the conversation can now turn to reducing the amount of junk Americans create in the first place.